Dog Blog 4

Hi, it's me, Blue,

I am back at the Hanson's for the week. This time I brought one of my girls along with me. It has been so much fun hanging out with three girls for the week. They really like me. They like me so much, I wanted to do something to pay back their kindness. I can't go shopping, because I am a dog. I couldn't bring flowers. Rachel would be mad if I dug up her garden. I tried catching the squirrels, but they are too fast. I did have one up a tree for a really, really long time, once. That was fun.

I thought long and hard about what kind of gift to bring. Then I smelled it. I am not sure what it was, but I smelled it in the garden. So I sniffed. I sniffed and sniffed until I found it's exact location. I love detective work! They would be so excited when I bring them their gift. I wondered what it was that I smelled. Then, it moved! It hopped, really. So, I grabbed it! I was very gentle. I didn't want to hurt it. I gently picked it up and took it to the edge of the porch. I stood guard over it and barked until Rachel came out. She took one look and said, "Oh gross!" I guess she doesn't like toads. She just let it hop away. Too bad, I had named him Fred. He was my friend.

The rest of the time was pretty fun, too. I brought my favorite blue stuffed animal with me. I managed to remove both squeakers, one ear, and half the fluff. I still have work to do.

It's hot here. Something about the dog days, whatever that it. I heard Rachel say it would be 102. That must be something.

So, the week is nearly over. I guess I will be glad to go home. Maybe Fred will come too.

woof, woof-

-Blue (the dog)

Birdie Update

I don't know how many of you have been reading our blog since last spring. Boy, I don't know if anyone is reading our blog at all...but I will save that for another post. ;)

But if you were reading posts last spring, you may remember my post about the series of nests that the robin built on my front porch. She built four nests, and then choose to occupy one to hatch her little chicks. (Is that the human equivalent of redecorating and then changing your mind, three times?!? Or maybe that's why they call mother's instinct "nesting")

We were fortunate enough to be able to watch all the nest building, the egg sitting, and the worm feeding last spring. We never removed the nests from the rafters of our porch.

This year I noticed some new activity on the porch. One of the nests, the same one the robin used, is occupied. These new tenants are tiny birds, maybe sparrows or finches. They are very shy. We have seen the tiny beaks poking up from the nest and we have seen the flutter of mom or dad to and fro. We aren't sure what type of bird, and they are too shy for a photo session. If you look really closely, at the back of the nest, you can see one of the new tenants. Any idea what kind of bird it is?

I guess leaving the nest intact, in their original spot has paid off. Now we have a set of birdie "condos." Who knows, maybe we can start to charge rent!

Update: June 20 - Last night I noticed a family of birds living in the nest second from the left. I looks like another family of finches or chickadees. Wow! I really should charge rent.

Re-Purposing

I am cleaning up my sewing room--which is not part of our studio. It is actually my guest room. And the fabric, ribbon, and sewing machine strewn about are not conducive to having my aunt and uncle stay with us next week. And because I am the procrastinator that I am, I decided to take a "cleaning break" and do this blog.
Last spring, as I was trying to organize the materials in my sewing room, I searched around the house for a ribbon organizer. I had an idea. Why not use my old Stoneware Rack from Pampered Chef as a ribbon holder? It sits neatly on a table. It holds each ribbon spool in place. It is even pretty to look at. It is a tidy way of keeping potentially unruly materials in place.
I love the idea of re-purposing unused items for other uses. What interesting things do you use in your house to keep yourself organized?

Dog Blog

While Rachel and the girls were out, I decided to fill you in on my stay here. I hope she doesn't mind that I used the computer.
Today I played with my baby--you can see it in the picture.
I also took a nap. I also chased some squirrels. Oh, Molly gave me a treat, and Mary brushed my fur.
I think it was the best day ever!
bye for now!
--Blue (the dog)
p.s. I miss my family. I wonder when they come home.

House Guest

We have a guest in the house this week. Kerry's dog, Blue, is staying with us while she and her family are vacationing in Hawaii.
Honestly, I was a little concerned about dog sitting when she asked us if we would be interested. My younger daughter, Molly, has had an unreasonable fear of dogs since she was about one year old. She would cry and tremble if a dog even sniffed at her. We never knew what caused her fear. Some suggested it was from a traumatic experience, some suggested it was because the dogs were as big (or bigger) than she, others said it must be from a past life. Whatever it was, she has never felt comfortable with dogs.
Blue has been a stellar house guest. He is a very mellow, gentle Golden Retriever. Even though Molly has known him for years, she never really warmed up to him, until now. She adores him! The first day he was here, I found her cuddling with him while she watched her Saturday morning cartoons.
This is a wonderful experience for all of us. I have even caught myself wondering when we might get a dog of our own.